Taylor Swift sings revenge; John Mayer among targets?

By Jill Serjeant

3 Min Read

<p>Taylor Swift arrives at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards in New York, September 13, 2009.Lucas Jackson</p>

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer John Mayer on Tuesday joined "Twilight" actor Taylor Lautner in the ranks of men thought to be targeted by country pop singer Taylor Swift in her upcoming album "Speak Now."

Joe Jonas, music industry critics, and Kanye West also appear to feature in what is shaping up to be an unusually forthright commentary on men who have broken, or messed with, the heart of the 20 year-old singer.

Swift, whose Grammy-winning album "Fearless" was the biggest selling record of 2009, has said each song on "Speak Now" is "a different confession to a different person."

Individual songs are being released weekly on iTunes and Swift has given sneak peeks of others on webcasts in a massive promotional push for "Speak Now".

"Dear John" is widely seen as being aimed at Mayer, 33, with whom Swift had a brief relationship about a year ago. The lyrics include lines like, "Don't you think I was too young to be messed with", and "Don't you think nineteen's too young/To be played/By your dark, twisted games/When I loved you so."

Asked if the song was about Mayer, who has a reputation as a ladies' man, Swift told People magazine; "A lot of times when people's relationships end, they write an e-mail to that person and say everything that they wish they would have said. A lot of times they don't push send."

"This was a tough one to write," she said "and I guess putting it on the album was pushing send."

Swift's track "Back to December" is thought to be an apology to Lautner, who dated Swift in late 2009 during the making of the 2010 movie "Valentine's Day". The pair broke up amicably in December.

"The person I wrote this song for deserves this. This is about a person who was incredible to me -- just perfect to me in a relationship -- and I was really careless with him," she told E! News.

Swift's relationship with Joe Jonas of boy band The Jonas Brothers, is rumored to be the subject of another album track. "Better Than Revenge" is thought to be aimed at the young actress Jonas pursued after dumping Swift.

"Mean", released as a single this week, appears to take aim at critics who slammed Swift's shaky vocal performance at the 2010 Grammy Awards and at other live shows last year.

"Drunken rumbling on about how I can't sing/ But all you are is mean/ And a liar/ And pathetic/ And alone in life," the usually charming Swift sings.

Swift has already gone public with her feelings about the infamous Kanye West interruption of her 2009 MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech.

In her new song "Innocent", performed in front of West at the September MTV show, Swift appeared conciliatory, singing "Who you are is not what you did".